Published July 1, 2026 03:18AM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Perfecting my down-dog in a dark field wasn\u2019t how I expected to spend my first night in Pennsylvania\u2019s stargazing oasis, Cherry Springs State Park. Yet there I was, alternating between yoga positions to pass the hours until the clouds cleared.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d always wanted to visit. Cherry Springs is a magnet for astrotourists because it\u2019s one of the few truly dark getaways in the northeast U.S. Nearly two decades ago, the 82-acre getaway became one of the first destinations certified by light pollution authority, DarkSky International. What makes it even more special: it puts the glimmering Milky Way, which the majority of us can\u2019t see at home due to artificial light, within easier reach.<\/p>\n
Cherry Springs State Park lies in north-central Pennsylvania, within a five-hour drive of about 47 million people, including me\u2014a Cleveland-based astronomy enthusiast. I made the 240-mile drive back in August 2025. My goal was simple. I needed to photograph the Milky Way for a stargazing book I was writing. My favorite cloud-prediction tool, the Windy.com app, forecasted clear skies after 11 P.M.<\/p>\n
The clouds were relentless before midnight, so I did impromptu yoga to make the most of my time. At 12 A.M., things turned interesting. The first star sparkled through the clouds, and within 30 minutes, I spotted more. The clouds thinned, and I admired and photographed a dome of pinpricks with the dazzling Milky Way the rest of the night.<\/p>\n Cherry Springs State Park, named for its abundance of black cherry trees, was a pioneer in today\u2019s ever-growing astrotourism movement. It became a DarkSky-certified park in 2008, although visitors admired its heavenly vistas well before that.<\/p>\n \u201cMy former supervisor discovered this astronomer on the field late at night\u2014an astronomer,\u201d Tim Morey, Cherry Springs State Park natural resources specialist, says of the park\u2019s first foray into astrotourism. The staff came to know the man well, and he \u201creally helped open the park\u2019s eyes to astronomy.\u201d<\/p>\n After that, Morey and his team learned beginner astronomy and how to protect their fleeting natural resource: darkness. \u201cMany people in the eastern U.S. can\u2019t see the Milky Way where they live, or even from a nearby park or forest,\u201d he says. In this remote escape, it\u2019s dark enough to see not only the stars and Milky Way but deep-space objects like star clusters and galaxies, or on the luckiest nights, the northern lights.<\/p>\n Most travelers use Cherry Springs as their home base, with nights camping at the state park (reservations recommended<\/a>) and days spent exploring the mountainous Pennsylvania Wilds that surround it. Thousands of trail miles weave through the region\u2019s woodlands, including nearby Susquehannock State Forest. The area\u2019s waterways attract anglers and kayakers, and nature lovers flock to the 45-mile Pine Creek Gorge, a mosaic of deep canyon walls and waterfalls within an hour of the park.<\/p>\n Come dusk, no view beats the dark and expansive vista at Cherry Springs. \u201cWe are on top of a hill,\u201d says Susan Schenck, environmental education specialist. This topography in an otherwise mountainous area ensures the night sky is unobstructed.<\/p>\n The stargazing field I sky-watched from is especially primed for observations. Nearly a century ago, it was cleared to be an airstrip. \u201cThere aren\u2019t as many trees blocking the view,\u201d she says. \u201cSo it\u2019s a wide-open space on top of a mountain, which lends itself to these panoramic views of the night sky.\u201d<\/p>\n Stargazing is a bit of a choose-your-own-adventure here. First, there\u2019s a general and free sky-watching experience, like the one I enjoyed. This includes admiring the cosmos from a spacious, tree-lined field\u2014either from the park\u2019s amphitheater or farther away from the parking lot in your own chair. (For your neck\u2019s sake, try the NEMO Stargaze Reclining Chair<\/a>.)<\/p>\n The field abuts the state park\u2019s campground, and stargazers and campers can come and go from the viewing field as they please. A tall mound in the parking area blocks the entry and exit headlights. I recommend this option for all but the most serious stargazers.<\/p>\nWhy Visit Cherry Springs State Park<\/h2>\n
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2 Astronomy Experiences at Cherry Springs<\/h2>\n
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